Arcade Fire Play New Songs at Secret Show in Montreal

Arcade Fire are expecting to release a new album at the end of 2013. They're already hard at work on the record -- which is much anticipated in the indie rock world -- but the Canadian band took a break from recording to perform several news songs at a high-security secret show at the Breakglass Studio in Montreal over the weekend. How tight was security? The group prohibited the use of of smartphones, lest anyone capture amateur footage.

According to a fan Twitter account, the band performed on Dec. 1 as Les Identiks, and the show had a strict policy of no phones, no photos and no video. That explains why we're relying on a series of tweets (and a tip from Consequence of Sound) to piece together information without the benefit of any leaked or fan-filmed footage, which usually lands online after these types of gigs.

Apparently, a fan who tried to break the rules and take a photo during the set saw his phone thrown against the wall. Hey, rules are rules, and this case, there was no bending, much less breaking, the announced policies.

The verdict about the new tunes? One was punk rock-ish. Another was percussion heavy. The songs are supposedly rooted in 19th century African American history, as well. So there is some info to chew on, which further ups the anticipation for the new album.

The show was also allegedly filmed by the band, perhaps for use at a later date. Arcade Fire's last album, 'The Suburbs,' came out in 2010.